'We can manage for now': HK rallies with fire recovery efforts on track

Substantial, timely support from the central and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region governments has expedited the on-site probe into last month's deadly Wang Fuk Court inferno and the rehousing of those affected, the housing authorities and community said on Saturday.

One displaced resident described the collective post-disaster response as "warming and reassuring".

Other affected residents said their main wish now is for timely government action to arrange long-term, lasting housing to provide solid ground from which they can restore stability and resume their livelihoods.

Deputy Director of the Housing Bureau's Development and Construction Department, Daniel Leung Hung-wai said central government supplies have played an instrumental role in completing structural safety checks in all buildings at Wang Fuk Court -- a process largely completed within 24 hours.

The large-scale operation, involving over 100 personnel conducting simultaneous work, required immense resources, he said, and the central government's provision of essential items -- from protective, waterproof wearing and gear to lighting for pitch-black surroundings – has enabled the teams to work unimpeded.

Leung sad the timely move to supply the equipment needed is a clear demonstration of the central government's support for Hong Kong.

"That readiness to give, to act, and to go the extra mile is in our collective ethos as Chinese people", he said after having witnessed at first hand the firefighting efforts, as well as police officers working tirelessly in the post-disaster response.

Leung and his team entered the fire scene at around 3pm on Nov 28, hours after the inferno had been mostly extinguished for preliminary safety assessments. "It was a heavy moment", he said.

Inside Wang Cheong House -- the block at Wan Fuk Court where the blaze first broke out and raged for more than 40 hours -- they carried out a rapid visual survey and took photos before exiting exhausted, Leung recalled, firmly believing that the structural information they had gathered would allow follow-on crews a safer, more informed entry for follow-up rescue and detailed inspection work.

Cherry Lee Yim-ming, a project development manager with transitional housing operator, Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, Kowloon, said on Saturday the organization has quickly freed up more than 20 units on the night of the blaze to offer shelter to those affected and has since rehoused over 80 households.

She said what "impressed her most" was witnessing the "remarkable" speed and efficiency of the community's mobilization in the face of the tragedy, with a colossal amount of aid supplies, ranging from bedding and food to small household appliances, and even cleaning products being assembled in less than a week.

According to Lee, rental payments have been waived, and that the lease agreement for the transitional units has been designed to accommodate varying departure timelines based on residents' needs.

As of Friday morning, 1,369 affected residents had been housed in youth hostels, camps or hotels through the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, while 2,499 have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau and the Hong Kong Housing Society.

Government-led initiatives like the "one-household, one-social worker" mechanism have proved to be vital in aiding longer-term recovery efforts, Lee said.

In one instance, a care team volunteer from Tsuen Wan District encountered a woman in her 70s who had trudged more than 10,000 steps on Nov 28 to reach the designated government office to get post-fire assistance. The team swiftly liaised with relevant departments to arrange for the woman and other affected residents to be temporarily rehoused at Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West to complete their paperwork on-site.

The displaced residents said the appreciated the support offered despite their tangible losses, praising the hotel staff's attention to specific needs when a blender was promptly provided to help with meal preparation for their elderly family members.

"I've got barely a few hundred dollars on me after the fire. I've lost all my cards, it hurts," one of them said. "But, with the help from the government and all those around us, we can manage for the time being."